Former New York Knick Bobby Portis recently spoke to The Athletic about his decision to leave the New York Knicks last offseason.
He revealed that the Knicks did offer him a new deal despite not taking up his option. Nonetheless, he decided it would be best to move on.
“The Knicks turned my option down and they offered me another deal, but I didn’t really know if it was going to be a good situation for me,” Portis said.
“The year prior, it wasn’t a good situation for me at all. It just wasn’t a culture I was used to,” he added.
He acknowledged that hiring Leon Rose and William Wesley was a clear attempt to completely revamp the culture in New York, but he didn’t have time to wait around and find out if it would work. He felt that moving to a winning culture, rather than attempting to establish one, was a better career move for him.
“I just wanted to go to a winning culture and where I felt like I can fit in with guys,” he said.
Eyes on Milwaukee
Portis said that the money was not a deal-breaker in any final decisions, he was more concerned with having a solidified role on a winning team.
“I saved up my money a lot. Obviously, I got another decade to play hopefully, God forbid an injury or things like that.”
He saw this year as a chance to re-establish himself as a valuable player in the league and believes the move to Milwaukee was one of the best career decisions he has ever made.
“I wanted to use this year as a get-back year for me just to get my name back. An investment year. And so far, so good. It’s one of the best decisions of my career so far.”
Portis had his eyes on the Bucks dating back to last season’s bubble, an experiment that the Knicks were not a part of. He spoke with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who “went to the boss (front office) and told him come and get me,” Portis said.
He said having a teammate that has that much faith in him “makes it that much funner and that much easier for me to come play the game.”
2019-20 Knicks Laced with Uncertainty
Portis’ only season in New York was a disappointing one, to say the least. Head Coach David Fizdale and team president Steve Mills departed mid-season, victims of high expectations. Those expectations were unrealistic for the unbalanced 2019-20 roster they had.
Even so, Mills failed to persuade any big-time free agents to sign with the Knicks. He spent the available cap space on veteran power-forwards Bobby Portis, Julius Randle, and Marcus Morris. Randle is the only one of them who remains with the team.
The steep competition at the forward position may have left Portis feeling uneasy about his role. Not to mention the season was cut short due to the breakout of the Coronavirus. The NBA paused on the 11th of March and re-emerged in a Bubble environment in Orlando at the end of July. Only teams in contention for the playoffs were invited and the Knicks’ 21-45 record didn’t make the cut, extending their 7-year long playoff absence.
This gave Portis a long offseason to decide his next move. The Knicks missing out on a bubble invite was effectively the last straw for him.
“Last year when my team (New York) wasn’t invited to the bubble, I think that’s when I had enough of it,” he said.
A 9-month offseason with no games to play in didn’t sit well with Portis. All signs indicate that he was finished taking a chance on rebuilding teams.
Etching His Role in Milwaukee
Portis averaged 10.1 points, 1.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 21.1 minutes across 66 games played in New York. He only started 5 games for the Knicks, establishing himself as a scoring threat off the bench.
Portis left his mark on the Knicks despite his limited role. He pushed them to their first win of the 2019-20 season against his former team the Chicago Bulls. This game would be dubbed the “Bobby Portis Game” by fans. He put up 28 points and helped the Knicks come back from an 18-point deficit.
In only his second time in the playoffs, Portis has established himself as a vital cog in the Bucks’ system. He’s averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks.
He was crucial in their Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns, helping prevent them from falling down 0-3 in the Finals. He posted 11 points and 8 rebounds with an impressive +/- of +19 in 18 minutes.
Portis’ departure from New York has seemingly worked out well for both parties. He found the culture he craved and the Knicks broke their 7-year playoff drought.
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